Who would have thought Carlos Delgado, fantasy stud, would be having such a terrible year? Not me, that’s for sure! In fact, he’s killing me but I am too afraid to drop his butt in hopes that he will be traded to the Dodgers in the coming weeks. Carlos is just one of many players whose trade could impact the fanatsy landscape and cause you to swim to the upper echelons of your fantasy league.
Here are ten players who will make or break your fantasy team this second half….
1. Randy Johnson….God knows the Yankees want him but don’t have anything to offer. The best bet from Arizona’s angle would be trade him to the Cubs who have the best talent to offer them. David Kelton, Felix Pie, Brandin Harris, Bobby Brownlie, and Francis Beltran could go to the D’Backs in exchange for the Unit. It all depends on Prior. If there is one thing the D’Backs need, it is young pitching and guys who can play every day. The only other team who can offer that is Anaheim, who is loaded at the AAA and AA level with guys salivating to play in the show. If the Unit goes to Anaheim, his stikeouts,WHIP, and ERA would be slightly higher than if he stayed in the NL.
2. Streak Players: Reggie Sanders, Sammy Sosa, Jason Bay. These three players are notorius for their binges. Keep an eye on when to play them or when not to play them. Bay is a great weekend players while Sammy tends to shine when it is sunny and 90 degrees. Reggie, unless you can tell what he had for breakfast, you never know. But he is capable of putting up 10 dingers in a two week stretch and then shutting down. Those ten homers could be the difference between 2 spots in the basic roto league.
3. Brewers pitchers: Doug Davis, Victor Santos, and Ben Sheets. Ned Yost has done the best job in the majors of getting something out of nothing. Maybe he is doing it with mirrors but I think he and Mike Maddux have really changed the fortunes around for the Brewers. The question remains can these three keep up the job they have been doing since June 1? The obvious answer is no, but after watching these guys pitch, they change speeds, move the ball in and out, and they are always ahead in the count. Sheets’ diabloical curveball is formidable and he likely will be a fantasy stud for years to come, but the defense is suspect in Milwaukee. Routine groundballs are easily fumbled and they lack a major arm in the outfield. Keep an eye on them through the next two weeks as they may be exposed versus the Cubs whom they play umpteen times in the next month.
4. Indian Hitters: Belliard, Martinez, and Hafner. These newbies to fantasy supremacy have yet to cool off this year. Hafner may not hit for much power but he is a run machine in producing them and scoring them. I often wonder when the bubble will burst and Belliard will come back to earth after his glorious hitting display the first 90 games.
5. Call ups….the scourge of every fanatsy season is when the big club gives up and starts previewing for next year. This could be a bonus for your team’s pitchers or hitters. Aside from Joe Blanton of the A’s farm system, there are few callups likely to make an immediate impact on the scene directly. Indirectly, they could allow your team to pad their stats.